29 December 2011

Mining, plantation disputes to intensify

Jakarta Post. Environmental groups predict that land disputes over mining and plantation activities will intensify throughout the country in the coming months and they have called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to immediately audit the operation of palm oil and mining companies.

The groups, including palm oil business watchdog Sawit Watch and the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) said that Yudhoyono should lead the cross-departmental audit, especially of the companies’ operating permits.

“The President must immediately evaluate every operational permit issued to all companies throughout Indonesia, particularly in the palm oil and mining sectors. This will tell us how many of these companies got their permits illegally through dubious administrative processes that have given rise to conflicts with local communities. The audit must also check the number of companies operating without land-use certificates,” Sawit Watch executive director Abetnego Tarigan said.

He said the audit would also help to paint a complete picture on where investors should really operate.

Sawit Watch said there were currently 11.5 million hectares of oil palm plantations throughout Indonesia. The government has also issued licenses for companies to operate in another 28.9 million hectares of land.

Sawit Watch campaigner Edi Sutrisno said that transparent and comprehensive data on the legality of the companies would also prevent conflicts with locals.

“The police and TNI [the Indonesian Military] set up security posts to secure oil palm plantations and take sides with the companies without verifying the status of the companies. No wonder they have become involved in so many land conflicts,” he said.

Sawit Watch recorded 664 unresolved land disputes involving palm oil companies up to this year. This year alone, it found that the TNI and the National Police were involved in 11 disputes.

Sawit Watch has identified strong opposition to oil palm plantations in Mandailing Natal regency in North Sumatra, Muaro regency in Jambi and Tanjung Jabung Barat, also in Jambi. Other conflict-prone areas include four regencies in West Kalimantan, three regencies in East Kalimantan and two in Central Sulawesi.

“The President must not wait any longer,” said Abetnego, adding that Sawit Watch and other nongovernmental organizations would call for help from the international community if the government refused “to listen to the people”.

Jatam has also come up with a map of potential hot spots for conflict over land for mining activities.

Jatam cites Bima in West Nusa Tenggara as one of the most conflict-prone areas in mining. Other hot spots include Sumbawa, also in West Nusa Tenggara, Aceh Besar in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Obi Island in North Maluku and Timika in Papua.

“The high level of opposition toward mining activities in those areas and the overlapping authority as to who should issue mining permits has turned these places into hot spots for conflict,” said Andrie S. Wijaya, coordinator of Jatam.

Data from Jatam showed that the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry had issued 5,374 mining licenses up to November this year. However, Jatam found that 8,000 mining companies were operating in the country.

“We must verify which of the other 3,000 or so companies are not registered by the ministry. Overlapping authority between the central and local government might have caused this,” he said.

Among the 5,374 registered mining companies, 349 are operating in protected forest areas.

Forestry Ministry secretary-general Hadi Daryanto said that the government was not to blame. He said that the government had changed the designation of 927,648 hectares of protected forest and this had allowed 13 mining companies, including PT Sorikmas Mining in North Sumatra and PT Freeport in Papua, to operate in what had been protected areas.

“Apart from these 13 companies legally operating in protected forest areas the rest are illegal operators,” said Hadi. (msa)

Solidarity with Journalists in Sri Lanka, Defend democratic rights!

Free Baba Jan and all political prisoners in Pakistan!

Free All Political Prisoners in Papua

Free Somyot; Free Thailand

People's Liberation Party

PEOPLE'S LIBERATION PARTY is a new name for Political Committee of The Poor - People's Democratic Party (KPRM-PRD). We decided to remove PRD as our historical identity since it’s no longer relevant to be maintained. This is also to move forward our struggle as a revolutionary party in Indonesia to be part of the people of the whole world's struggle for socialism in 21st century.

Visitor

Politic of the Poor

The politics of the poor is an alternative, a rival perspective based on the strength of the peoples own resistance, based non the principles of non-cooptation with the enemies of the people.

The concrete manifestation of the politics of the poor is the broadening and unifying of the peoples resistance, a unifying of the peoples mobilizations raising up demands and solutions to the socio-economic problems of the people. These mobilizations must grow and enter into every political arena of the poor, and the elections are just one of these.

No matter how difficult, the building of the peoples own strength to resist must be carried out, the problems must be overcome; this task cannot be avoided. Because this is the only way to make a Revolution, a Revolution that will open the way to Socialism in Indonesia.

Solidarity for Papua 2010

Header poster

Koran Pembebasan

Bimonthly paper of People Liberation Party

Waaeee, waaeooo... we can do it.

The honor and respect afforded to star West Papuan athletes playing in Indonesian colours at this year's SEA Games stands in stark contrast to the economic marginalization, discrimination and poverty Papuans face in their own land – home to the giant Freeport gold and copper mine – which saw profits double to $1.4 billion in the 2nd quarter of 2011 alone but contributes a measly 1% of its revenue to local communities whose environment and livelihoods are being decimated by the mine's operations. Kompas - November 16, 2011